Podcast Summary: Next Comes What
Host: Andrea Pitzer
Episode: The Authoritarian Assault on Journalism
Date: December 11, 2025

Main Theme

This episode, hosted by Andrea Pitzer, explores the existential crisis facing American journalism and democracy, drawing historical parallels to the tactics of authoritarian regimes worldwide. Pitzer examines how forces prioritizing corporate profit and political power have decimated journalism, eroded public trust, and left communities vulnerable to corruption and misinformation. Through global case studies and contemporary U.S. developments, the episode urges listeners to support independent journalism as a safeguard for democracy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Collapse of U.S. Journalism and Its Democratic Impact

• Causality and Trends
  • Policy decisions allowed profits to supersede democratic needs, resulting in a journalism crisis (00:20).
  • Journalism’s decline is part of a broader attack on U.S. institutions, public health, education, and access to information (01:44).
  • The recent Roosevelt Institute report: “The crisis facing American journalism and democracy is the predictable outcome of policy choices that have prioritized corporate profits over democratic needs.” (00:20)
• Role of Free Press in Democracy
  • A sustainable free press is necessary for democracy (00:41).
  • The collapse of journalism is both an accidental byproduct of previous mechanisms and the result of "deliberate sabotage" (00:28).

2. Institutional Undermining Across Sectors

• The erosion of public institutions from federal agencies to rural hospitals, K12 schools, and local businesses reflecting a systemic undermining (01:44–04:28).
• Loss of access to essential federal data, e.g., USDA’s Household Food Security Report ended, diminishing public knowledge (03:29).

3. Local News and Community Impact

• Local journalism is disappearing: over 3,200 print newspapers closed since 2005, with only one job for every five in 1990 (04:28-05:26).
• Public media under financial assault, e.g., loss of $1.1 billion in Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding (05:42).
• Memorable Statistic: As of August 2025, only 36% of U.S. adults follow the news “all or most of the time,” down from 51% in 2016 (06:12).

4. Authoritarian Strategies to Destroy Journalism

• Global Tactics

  • Authoritarians employ physical attacks, litigation, pressuring journalists, and technology-driven disinformation (08:45–11:24).
  • Example: Maria Ressa (Rappler, Philippines), Nobel Peace Prize winner, faced politically motivated prosecution for her reporting (07:28–08:45).

    Maria Ressa: "It took four years and two months. But that decision actually said…these cases should never even have made it to court." (08:24)

• Historical Parallel: Russia

  • Putin’s regime extinguished independent journalism via “foreign agent” laws, legal intimidation, and outright violence (09:03–12:59).
  • Anna Politkovskaya’s assassination cited as a warning of attacks escalating to violence (12:30).

• U.S. Context

  • Trump’s administration normalized attacks on journalists, amplified bias accusations, and attempted to silence critics (13:01).
  • Open season on journalists: personalized insults, lawsuits against media, threats to media companies, and DOJ intimidation (13:45–16:15).

    Andrea Pitzer: “Trump is kind of a genius, you know, to normalize things that were absolutely abnormal.” (13:01)

5. Disinformation, Technology, and Erosion of Shared Reality

• Social media and tech platforms became new enablers for information warfare (09:29, 17:05).
• Lies and sensationalism are incentivized online:

  “A 2018 MIT study said that lies spread six times faster than facts on social media. You know, you add fear, anger, hate, and you will spread even faster. That’s the incentive structure.” (17:26)

• The reality frameworks necessary for democracy are purposefully being fragmented and erased (17:45).

6. Lost Benefits of Local Journalism

• Decades ago, local outlets connected and informed communities, providing essential “connective tissue” (18:00–19:20).
• Even if imperfect and often reinforcing the status quo, “the answer is not to have less journalism,” but rather, to strengthen it for democracy’s sake (19:47).

7. Proposed Solutions & Encouragement for Action

• Roosevelt Institute report suggests:
  • Treat journalism as public infrastructure, not just a commodity (20:55).
  • Break up media conglomerates, invest in local journalism, reinforce public media, and regulate big tech platforms (22:05).
  • Support local/national independent outlets and public radio; demand coverage of critical issues (23:47).
• Community action: Organize local information efforts, attend/report on public meetings, and pressure officials for transparency (23:52–24:47).
  • “If your county is one that has already become a news desert, demand that candidates for city, county and state offices have a plan for how to deal with the lack of information and oversight…” (25:09)
• Systemic change is necessary, but individuals can triage the damage and demand more from leaders charged with protecting democracy (25:25).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the essential role of journalism:

  “I don't think that anything approximating democracy...can happen without some sustainable form of a free press.” – Andrea Pitzer (00:41)

• On policy failure and democratic responsibility:

  “You’re not free if you’ve been lied to. Political equality means speaking truth to power. If someone really powerful is humiliated when they’re caught lying, that’s the core of political equality.” (21:32)

• On the root problem:

  “The center of democracy is truth.” (21:21) “All those things [weakening journalism] are incredibly dangerous to democracy and to individual Americans.” (20:07)

• On technology and authoritarianism:

  “The fire that set the kindling on fire is technology.” (08:21)

• On collective action:

  “You personally can’t fix every part of what ails the news. That's going to require a societal shift. But you can support those who are in the trenches right now…” (25:29)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:20 — Introduction to the Roosevelt Institute report and the stakes of journalism’s collapse
• 01:44 — Overview of institutional attacks across the U.S.
• 04:28 — Crisis in local news; scale and impact of newsroom attrition
• 06:12 — Public disengagement from news; Pew report statistics
• 07:28 — Maria Ressa’s anti-authoritarian fight in the Philippines
• 09:03 — Authoritarian technology strategies & Russian/KGB reference
• 11:24 — Russia’s assault on the free press, “foreign agent” law expansion
• 12:30 — Assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, threats to journalists in Russia
• 13:45 — Trump admin’s strategies to attack and intimidate U.S. journalists
• 17:26 — Spread of disinformation and social media incentives
• 18:00 — The lost benefits and civic role of local journalism
• 20:55 — Roosevelt Institute recommendations for saving journalism
• 23:52–25:29 — Practical local actions, community organizing, and the necessity of individual and collective contribution

Conclusion

Pitzer concludes by urging listeners to support robust, independent journalism organizations and to take concrete action in their communities. She frames this not just as a technical fix for media, but as an existential fight for the future health of American democracy.

For More:
Andrea Pitzer encourages supporting the show and spreading the message to strengthen awareness and action in defense of journalism and democracy.